1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to skateboarding equipment and footwear articles. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a skateboarding footwear article having a protective guard forming over the footwear upper region and over the shoe tie laces to afford protection and lace failure during skating activities.
Skateboarding shoes are a cross between athletic footwear and fashionable apparel that provide a skateboarder with stable footing, traction on the skateboard and on the ground, and afford the skateboarder comfort and style while donned. Most skateboarding shoes include a soft rubber or polyurethane sole that wears gradually but provides long-term comfort for the wearer. The shoe upper is usually a low cut design comprised of a suede or leather upper having reinforced construction and stitching to ensure the integrity of the shoe over an extended period of use and abuse while skateboarding. Most skate shoes include woven laces across an enlarged and padded tongue, whereby the tongue protects the top of the wearer's feet while the laces keep the footwear attached to the wearer during skateboarding tricks and while in motion.
A common problem in the art of skate shoes is the tendency of the shoe laces to become quickly worn. The laces become abraded and begin to fray much quicker than with traditional footwear based on the skateboarding activity, which often entails tricks or stunts that require the skateboarder to drag his or her feet along the surfaces of the board when transitioning foot position therealong. More specifically, the common skateboarding trick known as the “Ollie” is a maneuver that allows the user to jump over objects and over gaps in the ground while in control of the board and without grabbing the board by hand. The user flips the base of the board such that its back end contacts the ground while its front end lifts rapidly upwards. The boarder jumps with the skateboard as the board rebounds off of the ground to allow both the board and the skater to become airborne. During this activity, the user drags the top of his or her front foot along the board upper surface to regain control over the board. The upper surface is known as the griptape, which comprises a high friction, abrasive surface for traction. As the user's foot upper is drug along the board, the griptape abrades and damages the wearer's laces, causing rapid fraying and deterioration thereto.
To combat this aggressive wearing and premature failure of skate shoe laces, various fixes have been implemented. However most of these are limited to treatments to the actually laces and not directed to preventing the abrasive contact to begin with. The present invention pertains to a new skate shoe having a laces cover that is operably connected thereover and then secured using a secondary strap. The woven laces that a fed through the eyelets of the shoe upper are protected from direct contact with the griptape surface of a skateboard, while the user has the option of deploying the laces knot under or over the secured cover for access or for aesthetic purposes. The sole and upper of the shoe may be comprised of known and readily available skate shoe materials commonly found in the art, while the exact design and shape of the shoe may be designed for specific styles to suit different users. Overall, the present invention provides a laces guard for skate shoes that reduces premature failure of the underlying laces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to shoe accessories and attachments that afford protection for a set of shoe laces. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications, and generally relate to specific designs for athletic footwear that prevent interference of the laces with the athlete's feet or provide a decorative cover thereover. Most relate to cylindrical covers that fit over the length of the laces, while others relate to a cover over the woven laces on the footwear article. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,947 to Lasher discloses a decorative attachment for a lace-up style shoe, wherein the attachment comprises a tapering material having a lace cover portion and an extension portion. The extension portion is fed under the laces of a shoe and above the shoe tongue, while the cover portion is folded upwards over the laces of the shoe and connected to the underlying extension portion by a hook and loop fastening means. The device conceals the shoe tongue and lace region from view while providing outward indicia of the user's choosing. The Lasher device is one that is separable from the shoe and is an attachment therefor. The present invention contemplates a new skateboarding shoe having both support and shoe lace protection to prevent unwanted wear and reduced useful life.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,895,696 to Sanders discloses an article of footwear having a tongue region that includes an inner compartment. The compartment opening is along an upper edge of the tongue towards the tied laces of the show, wherein the compartment can be sealed to protect stored items inside. The compartment is designed to act as a pocket for the loose shoe string ends of the knot, preventing them from tangling with the user's feet or become damaged from abrasion with outside objects. The compartment also provides storage for keys, identification, and money for a user engaging in an activity without alternative means for storage. Overall, however, the Sanders device provides no protection for the outer laces of the shoe during activities, as is the intention of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,913 to Stone discloses a double tongue shoe assembly that is adapted for those aged or very young persons who have difficulty securing shoe laces, buckles, or shoe straps of conventional shoes. The assembly comprises a shoe having an inner tongue, an outer tongue, and hook and loop fasteners that secure the outer and inner tongue along their edges to the vamp region of the shoe. The vamp includes a throat that opens to accept a user's foot, whereafter the tongues secure the throat into a closed position without the support of a laces or strap system. The Stone device, while comprises a securable tongue along the outer portion of the footwear article, does not provide sufficient stability of the user's foot to engage in skateboarding activities. Specifically, the shoe includes no underlying lacing structure to ensure the shoe stays firmly in place during use, and is more directed to those having difficulty donning conventional shoe structures.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0170205 to Shepherd discloses a padded shoe having a shoe upper adjoined to a sole, and padding material disposed along the shoe upper at the forward dorsal region, the left and right lateral aspects, and the tongue region. The padded tongue region includes and inner and outer tongue portion, a hinged connection of the outer tongue at its base, and fastening structure between the inner and outer tongue to secure the two together during activity. The Shepherd device, while disclosing a footwear article having an outer tongue portion, fails to disclose a skate shoe having the structure of the present invention. The present invention provides a skate shoe having a pivotable outer tongue region and a securing strap thereover to protect the woven laces within the shoe upper from wear during skating activities.
Overall, the present invention provides a new and improved skate shoe that protects the lacing structure of the shoe from repeated wear during skating tricks, increasing the longevity of the laces and preventing premature replacement thereof. The structure is adapted to shroud the laces while also provide a smooth interface for which to the wearer to drag his or her shoe upper against a skate griptape without worrying about wear to the laces or to the structure of the shoe. The function of the skate shoe is retained, while the design provides a unique style and specific functionality. It is submitted that he present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing skate shoe devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.